Welcome to the neighborhood!

This card is for new neighbors who recently moved in across the street. I plan to bake some cookies to go along with it this weekend.

The sidewalk was added in by hand and the clouds were done with liquid applique. The eyelets are added in just because I wanted to practice with my Crop-a-dile. :)

Whimsical Pick-a-Petals

Sorry for the gap in my posting, but I have been implementing a new computer at home (and the various software that intails), taking a mini vacation at the family cabin in the mountains, and attending the annual Stampin' Up convention here in Denver. I have one more dinner to go to in conjunction with Splitcoast Stampers and the second session of convention before things settle down. I have to finish assembling 50 swaps tonight, and then, finally I can rest!

Before I started running around like crazy, I made these cards which use Garden Whimsy and Pick a Petal sets. I hadn't gotten my Stem Sayings stamp set yet, but I had the word "stem" from Garden Whimsy that I could use instead. I doodled in the trail behind the ladybugs with my Garden Green and in such a small amount, it's a good match for the Wild Wasabi ink. I love how the petals look overlapping the patterned and solid stamps. Because I already had everything out, I went ahead and made two cards at once.

The ribbon on the card just above is from Jacksonbelle's ebay store.

Define Your Life - a strategy for reading backwards

When I first recieved my new Define Your Life set, I was very excited! Until I figured out that I would never remember which one said what, and/or what each stamp said in full because they're double-mounted, meaning back-to-back rubber, so they don't have a coordinating label on the back of the stamp. This is the vision that stared me in the face when I finished mounting all 28 stamps....

I knew they were all listed in the catalog...but no way was I going to look them up each time I even pondered using the set! I also needed to figure out a way to get me to use them because this is an expensive set. Gulp. Granted, I used my free merchandise credit to get them, but I could have used that credit elsewhere if I wasn't going to use the set!!

Well, I decided to make an index card. I measured my stamp storage box inner dimensions and cut a piece of white card stock into two pieces that would fit. I was pleased at this point that I was able to fit the stamps into a smaller size box than the one they came in because I got my two index cards from one piece of 8.5 x 11 paper. Starting in the lower right corner of the box, and the lower right corner of the paper, I stamped the first stamp, flipped it over, inked it up and stamped it on the 2nd piece of paper. The stamps don't need to stay in the same position in the box, but this way, if I find the "kindness" stamp, I know that on the other side, I'll find the "lucky" stamp.

I mounted one index card face out in the lid of the stamp box, and then mounted the other index card with its back to the first so that I can flip back and forth to find the saying I want, and I can actually READ them because they're full size and they're not backwards!

(the view from inside the case)


(the view from outside the case)

I hope this tip helps you with this set, or maybe gives you ideas for similar sets! Have a great day. :)

Let them eat cake!

My Voila! chef arrived recently and I thought he really needed to be put to work! I've borrowed this set from other stampers, and finally decided that if he wasn't being retired I could get him. The big circle in the background is from the set Dots Are Hot (hate that name, by the way - unfortunately makes me think of Paris Hilton and her, "that's hot" catchphrase. Ugh.). I like that it subtly highlights the birthday cake on the platter.

The chef was colored in with markers and then cut out. The platter was colored in using my silver Zig Painty Pen so in the lighting in this photo, it looks like it's white, but it isn't. I made button holes on his buttons with my white gel pen (you can see an enlarged image if you click on the photo). The sentiment uses the new SU scallop punch which was punched around the edges with my 1/16" hole punch and then I dotted around the scalloped edges with my Coral marker.

Christmas tree helpers

For this card I wanted to try out my new stamp from Big Celebrations and thought it went well with this saying stamp from Glad Tidings. I wanted to use more contemperary colors and since Old Olive is my favorite green, I had to find something to go with it. All the coloring was done with markers and the gold highlights visible in the picture are done with a Sakura stardust glitter pen. I also used eyelets over the ornaments, mostly just because I'd gotten my new Crop-a-dile and wanted to try it out. I love it! It was a tool that's totally worth the money. I had a whole box full of eyelets in assorted finishes that I hadn't touched in a long time because the hammering method isn't a good one for me because my stamp desk has a glass table top! I also love that the Crop-a-dile is SILENT, for when I get on a stamping roll and am up in the middle of the night.

Bayou butterfly

I really love how this card turned out! This was my first try with my new Garden Whimsy set. This is one of the first sets I knew I was going to order when I went through the catalog. The key to this card for me is that it has several layers. If you click on the image for the enlarged view, you can see that I punch out through the butterfly's spots progressively as I layered to let the other cardstock colors show through.

Final cased layout for stamp camp

This is another CASEd layout from page 115 of the current Idea Book & Catalog. I don't have the Office Accoutrement set but I liked the flower with the lined paper, and the way they used the spiral punch down the side of the card. I did want to incorporate some designer paper, too, though, so I used some of the Petals and Paisleys paper and I like the happy, light feeling that it brought. This is a good example of making use of what you have on hand....particularly when your order of new catalog goodies wasn't slated to arrive until AFTER your camp has already happened. :)

The card on the left below is the original that I cased.

IBC layout CASE

This is one of the cards for tonight's stamp camp. Because my "campers" will be getting their copies of their catalogs tonight, I want to focus on the usefulness of the catalog outside of just ordering from it. It's such a resource of IDEAS! I know that when I started stamping, I felt the pressure to come up with ideas for cards - as though I should know how to do it just because I wanted to. Hopefully, this can help them see that you don't have to make an exact replica, you can instead look for inspiration to guide you.

This layout was inspired by the layout on page 55 (see below for photo of original in the catalog) of the new Idea Book & Catalog. I was going to do a straight CASE of the layout using different colors, but then I didn't like how it was turning out, so I just started fiddling with the elements. I just LOVE how soothing these colors are together.

Another feature that I love about this card is that is uses ONE set, rather than multiples. A bonus for the budget-conscious stamper.

Regional card copy

This is a copy of one of the cards I made at Regionals in Salt Lake City in April using the new set, Double Line Doodle. This card uses the new In Color, Purely Pomegranate, with Lovely Lilac and Old Olive. The sentiment is from the set, In My Thoughts. I changed the colors and sentiment for this card, and in the original, we had cut off the bottom 1-1/4" and stamped the paisley design on the inside of the card. While I liked the look of that project, I didn't like that the card couldn't stand up on its own, so I just stamped the paisleys on the outside front.

2007-08 In Color combinations

Stampin' Up has released its trendy new colors for 2007-08, but as I was sitting down last night to stamp, I realized I wasn't sure how to pair them. Then I remembered that last year they'd put out a chart of In Color + Classic colors. Turns out, they did it again with this year's colors. I like it because it's in a readily printable format, and currently, I don't have my computer in my rubber room (but that's going to change SOON). However, when I DO have a computer at hand, I like to visit Scraptitude.com and their SU color combo database which includes a search feature and a random button.

Here are thumbnails of Stampin' Up's color chart which is linked as a PDF above. I hope you find that perfect color combo!

Happy Birthday, Kirsta!

This is the card that I made for my SIL Kirsta's birthday. There's just a tiny bit of stamping on this one. I stamped the birthday sentiment on a transparency and then layered that over this Basic Grey "blush" paper from one of my 6x6 pads. The ribbon is Stampin' Up's stitched Cranberry ribbon from last catalog year and it covers a piece of Sticky Strip holding the transparency in place. The transparency is also folded over the top of the sheet of designer paper and adhered to the back. The Bayou Blue cardstock is stamped in tone-on-tone ink with the Paisley background stamp.

This card is the card I made with the other half of the Basic Grey paper. It's just a simple birthday card. I've been trying to make more birthday cards because those are the kind I use most for myself and/or get requests for.

The scallop piece is the new Groovy Guava from Stampin' Up, dotted around the edges with my white gel pen. The brown ribbon is a retired piece, also from SU.

This second card though, is bothering me. I feel like it needs something, but I'm just not sure what. If you have suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

A can for Ky's cards

Ok, really I'd call this a tin, but I liked the consonance created by all those "kuh" sounds in the title. :) This can is a Michael's clearance find that I decided to decorate for Ky to use to store the cards that I make for him. He's the type who is sentimental enough to save them, but without a specific home, they're likely to end up in the top drawer of his dresser. He says it's not too girly for him, but I think he may just be being nice. However, I figured it's meant to sit somewhere here at home, so if it's girly, so be it.

The letters are Basic Grey naked chipboard and were traced onto the back of a piece of Cool Caribbean cardstock (glad I stockpiled some of it now that it's retired) that had been stamped previously in CC ink using the Linen background, and it was faux stitched with my white gel pen.

This paisley Basic Grey paper was glued on with my Stampin' Up Anywhere Glue Stick and the ribbon was put on with the same. I liked the cream color that the can came in and I liked the red of the lid, so I only put a band of paper and ribbon around the middle to brighten things up, rather than attempting to cover the entire card tin (um, I mean can).

Scrap rhino birthday

Another rhino card using the new Zoofari set! I love the smile on this guy. This set (and MANY others are now available for purchase through a Stampin' Up demonstrator, like me). :)

This rhino was stamped on So Saffron, and I whitened up his teeth with my white gel pen. His head was cut out and mounted on dimensionals. I love cutting this rhino out for use, but hate cutting out his toes. Can you see my sneakiness?

Here are a couple of the same rhinos with toes intact in my June 14th post.

That's right, I cut out along his foot outline, and just colored in some toenails with my white gel pen. Ha ha! I felt very triumphant. :) Here's a close-up of today's rhino toes.